Kent School Board picks three superintendent finalists

Three finalists are in the running to be the next Kent School District superintendent, including Interim Superintendent Israel Vela.

The other finalists are Keisha Scarlett, assistant superintendent of academics for Seattle Public Schools; and Mary Templeton, superintendent of the Washougal School District, just east of Vancouver in Clark County.

The Kent School Board chose the three after it reviewed semifinalist interviews and materials prepared by the Nebraska national executive search firm of McPherson and Jacobson at a March 30 special meeting in executive session.

“We are delighted to present this caliber of candidates who have emerged as our finalists from a pool of 24 applicants to our students, families and staff,” Board President Leslie Hamada said. “Our board is now counting on our community to engage in this final step of the process and give us their feedback through the search firm feedback forms. We, the board, are listening, and we are excited to move forward together as a community as we select our next superintendent.”

Students, families, staff and the community can review interviews on the district website with the finalists and engage with them through school tours April 4, 5 and 7 and then provide feedback to the board.

The online survey for feedback about the three finalists will be open until 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 7. After the feedback survey results are reviewed and the board conducts its final interviews, the board will publicly announce the new superintendent’s appointment and begin contract negotiations by the end of April.

Calvin Watts left the Kent superintendent job last summer to return to Georgia to become superintendent of the Gwinnett County Public Schools. Watts was an assistant superintendent for the Georgia district before taking the Kent job in 2015 at an annual salary of $250,000 per year. Watts had an annual salary of $279,500 per year when he left Kent.

Keisha Scarlett

Scarlett, assistant superintendent of academics for Seattle Public Schools, formerly served as chief of equity, partnerships and engagement. She said she has dedicated her career to advocating for academic opportunities and environments that tap into students’ inherent brilliance, particularly those furthest from educational justice.

Her vast leadership experiences range from her early career in the STEM field to teacher, principal and numerous central office leadership positions in Seattle Public Schools. In 2014, she was named the Washington State Middle Level Principal of the Year.

She said one of top accomplishments was the launhing in 2019 of the Academy for Rising Educators (ARE). ARE is a tuition-free educator preparation pathway program developed in partnership with the City of Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning and Seattle Central College to diversify the workforce serving 250-plus aspiring teachers of color across three cohorts with a 90% retention rate.

Scarlett is a multigenerational resident of Seattle. She and her husband are the parents of three adult children. She holds a doctorate in education leadership and policy studies from the University of Washington and she is a graduate of Clark Atlanta University, a historically Black college in Atlanta, Georgia.

• Scarlett will be in town Monday, April 4. For Scarlett’s schedule, see her profile on the district website.

Israel Vela

Vela began serving as the Kent interim superintendent on Aug. 2, 2021. He was chosen by the board for that role based on his distinguished career as a teacher, principal and district leader in Washington state and years of service in the Kent district.

Vela returned to the Kent School District as the chief school operations and academic support officer in July 2016 under Watts. As chief, he oversaw a wide variety of programs in the district. First and foremost, he was responsible for overseeing the Office of School Improvement, a team of executive directors supporting school leaders through transformational leadership.

He also steered support implementation of early learning, inclusive education, and Multilingual Education (ELL). His work in Student and Family Support Services encompassed important work, including family connections, refugee transition services, truancy, and oversight of Categorical Programs and Grants (including Title I, LAP, and McKinney Vento/Homeless).

In his previous role to interim superintendent, he oversaw athletics and activities, school safety, transportation, capital planning and facilities maintenance and operations. In the unprecedented times of COVID-19, his team also led health services for KSD, including campaigns for Student Wellness, support of counselors and 504 services.

From 2012-2016, Vela served as executive director of schools, overseeing the southwest region of schools in Seattle Public Schools, the largest district in Washington state. He was principal of Meridian Elementary in Kent from 1999-2005. Before coming to Kent, he served as a classroom teacher for a combined total of 10 years in the Moses Lake and Lake Washington School Districts and coached sports.

Vela has served on the Kent Youth and Family Services Board of Directors since 2007, serving as board president from October 2011 to September 2013. He is a member of Kent Rotary.

Vela, his wife, and his family have been a part of the Kent community since 1999. His daughter and son are both Kentwood High School graduates and attended Meridian Elementary and Mattson Middle School. He and his family enjoy attending Mariners games, UW Husky football events and traveling.

• Vela will tour the district Tuesday, April 5. For Vela’s schedule, see the district website.

Mary Templeton

Templeton, superintendent of the Washougal School District, is a 30-year public educator who has had a distinguished career as a classroom teacher, building administrator, executive-level leader and as a superintendent.

She began her career as a teacher in California’s diverse Central Valley, where she developed a passion for ensuring that all students had a strong sense of value and belonging. She also spent 18 years serving in Spokane Public Schools, the second largest school district in the state of Washington. In Spokane, she led for school improvement, community engagement, student advocacy, organizational accountability and closing the opportunity gap for students. She was the Human Resources director for certificated personnel for Spokane Public Schools for four years prior to taking the Washougal job.

Templeton joined the Washougal School District as their new superintendent in July 2018 and has developed authentic partnerships with the community, improved student achievement, built trust among all stakeholders, and has cast a clear and positive vision for the future. Her team has implemented a strong multi-tiered system of support, has shepherded the work to train her staff in culturally responsive classroom management and has exceeded the state average for high school students achieving dual-credit.

As part of a successful levy campaign, she cast a vision for a dual-language immersion program (Spanish), which has now been implemented. She said the work of her team to improve the graduation rate for all students in Washougal (74%-89%) underscores her ability and commitment to lead for improved student opportunity and outcomes.

Templeton holds a bachelor arts degree from University of Oregon in German and theater, a masters in education from Eastern Washington University, and a doctorate degree in educational leadership from Washington State University.

• Templeton will be in town Thursday, April 7. For her schedule, see the district website.

District facts

With approximately 24,000 students (January 2022 actual count is 23,712), Kent School District is the fifth largest school district in Washington state. There are more than 130 languages spoken in the district’s 42 schools. Kent School District is one of the largest, most culturally diverse school districts in the state, according to the district’s website.